A slight breeze drifted through the open windows, the Venetian blinds tapping gently on the window frame. The morning sun peeked through the cracks, placing beams of light on the sleeping man's face. It was just enough to stir Will from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on his surroundings. Next to him, Holly was sleeping soundly. They had moved to Holly's bedroom in the early morning, after Will awoke from lying on the floor for too long, his body crying out for something soft to rest on. The remainder of his sleep consisted of tossing and turning, the effects of sleeping in a different bed. Emma entered his dreams as well. He wished he hadn't opened that yearbook. There was still a part of him that wanted Emma in his life forever, but she was married to Carl. So that was definitely out the question. And he also didn't want to jeopardise what he had with Holly. He wanted Holly more than he thought possible. Will ran his fingers through her blond hair, leaning in to peck her on the cheek. She opened her eyes and kissed him back.

"Hey, sweetie." Will smiled down at her.

"Hey yourself. Did you sleep well?"

"Ah, had a bit of a restless night, but it was okay." Resting on his elbow, he fixated on a corner in the room and let out a small sigh.

"Is everything alright? Your mind seems elsewhere this morning." Holly sat up and grabbed his free hand.

"I'm just a bit worried about Emma," he confessed.

"Okay, not the answer I was expecting. Uh, Emma, she's the guidance counsellor, right? I don't think we've met. I've heard, umm, isn't she a bit…umm… particular about how things should be…"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't met her! She's great. Em has a small issue with cleanliness, messes and germs, which is why I arrived late yesterday. I'm sorry, I should have told you."

"What happened? Did you spill something on her, drop her perfectly sharpened pencils or get gum in her hair?" Holly laughed.

"She got slushied by a couple of students and she had a panic attack. Not something to laugh at," Will replied. He didn't like it when people made fun of Emma.

"Oh," was Holly's only response. She knew she had touched a nerve.

"You just need to understand Emma. She was doing so well, you know, her husband, Carl was making her better, making her not worry about colour-coding paperclips or cleaning windows until every speck is removed, only now…I don't know. For want of a better word, she was a mess yesterday."

Holly nodded. "I see you care about Emma a lot."

"She can be very fragile at times. We had a bit of a rough patch a while back, but our friendship is quite strong. Hey, I've got an idea. Emma doesn't have that many female friends, why you sit with us today and talk to her? I think you'd be a great influence on her," Will kissed Holly's hand.

"Well, I, uh, I don't know, Will," Holly began to stammer.

"Trust me; just go with it, maybe having you around will help her get back on her feet."

"Sure…why not," Holly smiled and quickly changed the subject. "I'm going to get ready for school." She jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower. It's not that she didn't want to be friends with Emma, but there was something about their 'friendship' Holly couldn't quite work out.

"Thanks Holly, it means the world to me," Will called out. His thoughts immediately returned to the guidance counsellor. Poor Emma, Will thought, I hope Carl is looking after her. She was such a mess yesterday and wished he could have done more for her. Will felt he had already overstepped his mark by giving her a few reassuring kisses. Probably not the smartest move, Will considered. All slushies aside, Will genuinely liked spending time with her yesterday. It seemed no time had passed since they last chatted over lunch in the staff room, her nibbling at perfectly cut celery, him with his favourite choc chip cookies. Nothing more, nothing less.

Will smiled sadly to himself. Coming to Emma's rescue had always been a fantasy of his, particularly when it made him appear superior to Carl in the early days of his and Emma's relationship. The scenario changed, but one element remained the same: Emma always chose Will. Always. And now that he was finally able to be there for her without anyone getting in the way, it was all too late. Carl would always be the winner now. He shook the thoughts from his head and concentrated on moving on with Holly. She was the only one he wanted to rescue from now on.

"Hey Holly?" Will asked at the door to Holly's bathroom. "Wanna be my plus one at Regionals?"

"You got it, babe!" was her reply. Although he would like Emma to be the New Directions' lucky charm and come along, Carl would never agree to it. It was time to let Emma go.